Flying Fish by MikeR - 1:64 (3/16" to 1 Foot) - from Model Shipways plans

[MikeR]

Then I turned the main mast and when it was clamped in the lathe the end on the dead side moved slightly off center, which I did not realize until it was too late.

[MikeR]

I took the first set of masts that I made and scraped out the chapeling (a new word for me) and then added the iron bands to the masts. I used thin strips of copper tape and liver of sulfur to blacken them. The top mast is my first attempt, the lower the second.

[rwiederrich]

1 hour ago, MikeR said:

I took the first set of masts that I made and scraped out the chapeling (a new word for me) and then added the iron bands to the masts. I used thin strips of copper tape and liver of sulfur to blacken them. The top mast is my first attempt, the lower the second.

Good job……..but one fearfully evident issue pops up right away.   The bands at 1/96 should be a scale 3’ apart…..roughly 3/8”…..center to center.   Or at least symmetrical.   
 

Your final product looks very nice, but I fear the second attempt banding is too far apart for the scale.  
 

Sorry for the criticism.   
 

Rob

[MikeR]

Rob

I am building  the Fly Fish at 3/16" scale.  I am using the top mast in the picture. The bands and the wedge spacing is right on with the drawings I have.  I guess I wasn't paying attention when I glued up the bottom mast.

[rwiederrich]

7 hours ago, MikeR said:

Rob

I am building  the Fly Fish at 3/16" scale.  I am using the top mast in the picture. The bands and the wedge spacing is right on with the drawings I have.  I guess I wasn't paying attention when I glued up the bottom mast.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. 
 

Rob

[MikeR]

Rob

 

Thanks you were right, I rechecked the drawings and I am missing 1 band and 1 wedge.    After I finish the decking I will Glue up both masts and try again.  I hope third time is a charm.

 

Mike

[rwiederrich]

2 hours ago, MikeR said:

Rob

 

Thanks you were right, I rechecked the drawings and I am missing 1 band and 1 wedge.    After I finish the decking I will Glue up both masts and try again.  I hope third time is a charm.

 

Mike

I personally had to try twice to get it right, myself. 
 

Rob

[MikeR]

Today I received and installed a live tailstock chuck adapter for my lathe. That should eliminate the problems I had when my work shifted in the lathe.

 

The pieces of wood required to build the main mast and foremast.

[MikeR]

Gluing up the masts

 

[MikeR]

I sanded the square edges off the wedges before putting it in the lathe

Using the live tailstock chuck which held my work true , I am satisfied with the results.

 

[MikeR]

I installed the iron bands (copper tape) on the masts and blacked them with liver of sulfur.

[rwiederrich]

They turned out swell.  
 

Good job. 
 

Rob

[gak1965]

On 4/19/2022 at 10:35 PM, rwiederrich said:

They turned out swell.

+1

[KeithAug]

Mike,

I Love the masts, very nicely done.

I’m not quite sure what the benefits are of the tailstock Chuck. Why wasn’t it possible to restrain the tailstock end of the mast using a live centre?

[MikeR]

Keith

 

I turned 5 mast and was satisfied with the  last 2 which I used the chuck at the dead end.  Of the 3 that were rejects one was ok but not great and the other 2 were bad.  The mast core is 1/4" square, I used diagonal lines to find the center, then center punched it and fit the to the live center. after they were turned I noticed the center mark was enlarged and moved slightly off center.  I do not have any problems like this when I turn larger stock.

Keith I  am following your Schooner Germania build and wish I had some of your talent in wood and metal work.

 

Mike

[MikeR]

I have finished planking the decks, installed the main and foremast fife rails, the mooring bits, and the cavils and mooring chocks.

[rwiederrich]

Beautiful work.   Clean and skillfully done. 
 

Rob

[ClipperFan]

MikeR,

I'm constantly impressed with the high level of vision, craftsmanship and artisan abilities of modeling I'm privileged to observe on these pages. For a couple years now, Rob, Vladimir and I have been in the most exhaustive reconstruction of McKay's final Medium Clipper Glory of the Seas. Why should that concern you in your Flying Fish build? There's been major structural components of the McKay bow which I know for a fact, have been largely ignored by the modeling community. Why this is, I don't know but since there exists enough documentary and visual evidence to correct the issue, I've been endeavoring to share this. In his evaluation of the rugged construction of the prow of Donald McKay's second Extreme Clipper Flying Cloud in his April 25, 1851 Boston Daily Atlas article Duncan MacLean described his impression of this unique maritime invention: "She has neither head nor trail boards, but forming the extreme, where the line of the planksheer and the carved work on the naval hoods terminate, she has the full figure of an angel on the wing, with a trumpet raised to her mouth." further on he describes his evaluation of this construct: "Her hood ends are bolted alternately from either side, through each other and the stem, so that the loss of her cutwater would not affect her safety or cause a leak." I've added the italics to emphasize a point. If you look at any model of Flying Cloud you won't find either naval hoods or cutwater. Rob and I are now convinced that's due to these clever devices being intentionally hidden by the inventor himself. Any doubt can be cleared up by looking at the lines of his 1854 Extreme Clipper Lightning. Where her bow stem should be completed, there's literally nothing, just open space. In conclusion, since his Extreme Clipper Flying Fish was his fourth such large vessel after the Clipper Packet Staffordshire it's doubtful McKay would have abandoned such a successful construction. Since it carried all the way to his final sailing ship, it's logical to believe that Flying Fish also incorporated both nautical devices. Attached is the original sheer and body lines plan of Flying Fish from the Bergen, Sjorfortsmuseum, Norway of all places. It's an original tracing of Flying Fish. Excluded are the 16" fancy rail above the main rail molding, as well as the cutwater and naval hoods. I've shared my conjectural sketch overlaying this original tracing, drawn to scale with her 18" inner bowsprit, naval hoods, cutwater and figurehead. A more lifelike image of a possible flying fish figurehead is also included. It's my belief that this makes much more sense than tacking on the flying fish figurehead onto a bare stem, which is how most completed models have done.

[MikeR]

Clipper Fan

Thanks for the information  on the navalhoods and the Flying Fish fiqurehead.  I installed the navalhoods,  I think I got it right.  In the near future I am going to have to try carving my first fiqurehead.

[MikeR]

I  made and installed the capstans, cat heads and anchor release, and half of the forecastle deck fairleads.

[MikeR]

And I had fun making the bilge pump.

[rwiederrich]

Wonderful work indeed. 
 

Rob

[ClipperFan]

On 10/4/2022 at 10:15 PM, MikeR said:

Clipper Fan

Thanks for the information  on the navalhoods and the Flying Fish fiqurehead.  I installed the navalhoods,  I think I got it right.  In the near future I am going to have to try carving my first fiqurehead.

MikeR, you're welcome, of course. As Rob and Vladimir can easily attest, I might be considered a "gadfly" when it comes to directing modelers to achieve greater accuracy in their creations. My consistent intention is only to offer insight into the true appearance of these incredibly beautiful clipper ships. After two years of intensive evaluations of rare images of McKay's final clipper Glory of the Seas we have concluded that her naval hoods and cutwater arrangement was a unique feature to the McKay bow. Here are a few images to assist you in your attempts to recreate this fascinating feature on your extreme clipper Flying Fish. From these pictures, you can see that the depth of the hood is just slightly smaller than the width of the main bulkead above. We calculated the exterior dimension of Glory's main bulkhead at 4' and width of her naval hood at 3 & 1/2'. Since Flying Fish had a 1/2' smaller main bulkhead, her naval hood would have most likely been 3'. You have correctly reproduced this feature neatly on your model but the end depth to be accurate needs to be wider. Since it's quite difficult to relocate her anchor hawse hole below her hood, how it appears in the Glory of the Seas images, it's probably easier to end the hood just before that opening. I applaud your efforts to reproduce this fascinating McKay feature. 

On the forecastle above, looking at the close up of Glory's forecastle, you can observe a long graceful curve ending in a wedge shape at the bow, which Rob and I concluded would have housed belaying pins. Ignore the heavy railing at the stern end of the forecastle, as that's not original. However the graceful arching curve of her cutwater in this scene is accurate. Her figurehead has been removed but you can see where she would have been mounted. The flying fish figurehead would have had thin wings, to replicate this feature, you might want to use thin plastic. The figurehead itself was burnished with gold and green. From this limited description it sounds like it was a very lifelike representation. The gold most likely was a delicate filigree on wings and fins, possibly at the edges of the fish's scales as well. Real flying fish are darker above and lighter below and are beautiful creatures. 

Edited October 6, 2022 by ClipperFan
additional information

[ClipperFan]

On 10/4/2022 at 10:23 PM, MikeR said:

And I had fun making the bilge pump.

MikeR, your bilge pump creation is absolutley beautiful. I particularly appreciate the elegant, intricate curving nature of your spokes.

[MikeR]

This is how I made the steering wheel.  I do not have an index table, so this is what I came up with.  I made a slide table for my Brynes table saw and mounted 2 wooden blocks 1 inch away from the center of the saw blade.  I then made a drawing of the steering wheel and extended the centerline of each spoke, and used rubber cement to glue it to a block of wood.  I then attached the wood and pattern to the slide table with double sided tape making sure the centerline was lined up to the edge of the ruler.  With the blade set to the proper height I made the cut.  I did this for the next 5 cuts.  I then cut out the center hub and ring with my scroll saw.  Then I added the spokes.  Using an index table would have been a little more accurate but this worked all right for me.

[MikeR]

[Vladimir_Wairoa]

On 10/6/2022 at 12:20 PM, ClipperFan said:

MikeR, your bilge pump creation is absolutley beautiful. I particularly appreciate the elegant, intricate curving nature of your spokes.

Fantastic work Mike, im following. 

V. 

[Jared]

You model is looking really good.   Your photos and George’s will be a great help as I attempt to get started on my masts this month. 

[MikeR]

Vladimir and Jared thanks for your comments.    I have been working on some of the deck furniture, the steering wheel and wheel box, the storage room hatch / skylight, and binnacle.

[MikeR]